Dead to Rights: Retribution Preview

The Dead to Rights franchise is one of the weirdest in terms of storyline. Okay, so there may not be anything weird about a desolate city overrun by the scum of the Earth. But Dead to Rights is probably the only series I can think of where there was no sequel, but rather a prequel, and a prequel to the prequel. If you're a fan of the series, then you know that DTR2 was a prequel to the first game, and the PSP's DTR: Reckoning was a prequel to DTR2. Well, continuing down this path is Dead to Rights: Retribution, which is a complete reboot for the franchise, and the ultimate prequel to it all.

Retribution highlights the very origins of Jack Slate and his would-be K9 partner Shadow, as the game begins before Slate ever meets his furry friend. The game takes place in Grant City, the very same city that the other three games were based in. You are thrown into this world of corruption and excess crime, and your objective is to get to the root of it all.

At your use will be an all new combat system that is unlike the ones used in the past games, and unlike any other third-person shooter of this nature. Borrowing a page from the Devil May Cry book, Retribution will allow the gamer to seamlessly use his hand-to-hand combat with gunplay without having to switch or equip/unequip items. Throw down a few kicks at punches at your enemy, and immediately finish him off with a bullet. DTR:R gives you that kind of freedom, which should help create a much more lively, enjoyable, fun, and addictive experience.

Other combat abilities will include disarming your opponents and in turn using their guns against them. In addition to being able to duck and blind fire over objects, grabbing opponents and using them as shields, and even executing deadly take-down maneuvers. Namco promises the deepest hand-to-hand combat mechanics shooter has ever seen, but we have to wait and see if they live up to the promise.

Also, later on in the game, Shadow will be made into a playable character who you can take full control of. That is not to say he will have his own dedicated stages, but rather, you will be able to take control of him if he is needed to stealthily take down an enemy. Or if he can get to places Jack cant, and etc. It's concept somewhat similar to how you control minions in Overlord, but a lot more fleshed out.

We're looking forward to seeing more footage and eventually getting our hands on the game later this year. From what I've seen of the game, it's looking very good as the shooting seems rock solid.